CI polygraph questions address counterintelligence conduct, including espionage, sabotage, terrorism, unauthorized disclosure, unauthorized foreign contacts, and deliberate damage to or malicious misuse of government information or defense systems. Public policy identifies these subject areas. It does not give you a universal script to memorize before an employment examination.

For a cleared job seeker, the useful preparation is understanding the scope and resolving ambiguous wording with the examiner. A purported question list can leave you preparing for a different examination, an outdated policy, or someone else’s interpretation of a term.

What is the official scope of CI polygraph questions?

The scope concerns counterintelligence threats and conduct. The current DOE rule includes espionage, sabotage, terrorism, unauthorized disclosure of classified information, unauthorized foreign contacts, and deliberate damage to or malicious misuse of government information or defense systems. Intelligence Community guidance covers those areas with some differences in wording.

Start with the authority that actually applies to your examination. DOE’s current counterintelligence evaluation regulation, at 10 CFR 709.11(b), applies within that department’s program. Its covered-person definition includes applicants, employees, contractor employees, and certain people assigned or detailed to DOE. That does not make every DOE provision a rule for every intelligence agency.

For Intelligence Community personnel security vetting, the publicly posted ICPG 704.6 guidance identifies counterintelligence-scope, expanded-scope, and specific-issue examinations. Its CI topics expressly include unauthorized removal of classified information, including disclosures to the media, and unauthorized or unreported foreign contacts. Keep those qualifiers when reading a shortened list.

There is also an older DOE notice issued in 1999 that appears in searches. It expired in 2000. Although that notice helps explain where some familiar descriptions of pretest wording originated, its narrower subject list should not replace the current regulation when you assess what DOE’s program covers today.

What do espionage, sabotage, terrorism, and disclosure mean for preparation?

Prepare to discuss relevant conduct truthfully and to ask how the examiner defines each topic. A subject heading is not an exact question, a fixed time period, or a prediction about how the examiner will address a particular event in your history.

For example, seeing “unauthorized disclosure” on a list should prompt a request for the examiner’s explanation, rather than a personal assumption that it means only selling secrets. The IC guidance requires explanations of unauthorized recipients and protected disclosures. A recipient’s nationality alone does not settle whether a disclosure was authorized.

Keep your preparation grounded in what happened. If an event raises a question for you, identify the circumstances you need to explain through the approved process. Avoid turning an uncertain memory into a confident account simply because a sample online question appears to demand a short answer.

The information-systems topic also deserves attention. A list copied from the expired DOE notice can omit deliberate damage or malicious misuse altogether. If your career involves privileged access, do not assume that an examination limited to CI subjects excludes systems-related conduct.

None of these headings provides an individual adjudicative answer. You cannot determine your employment outcome by matching a personal event to a word on a list. The examiner can explain the question; the responsible agency must evaluate information under its applicable procedures.

Are all foreign contacts treated as unauthorized contacts?

No. The published CI categories distinguish unauthorized contacts, and IC guidance also refers to unreported contacts. Those qualifiers matter. They do not establish that every interaction with a foreign national is prohibited or that a candidate should independently decide which contacts the agency considers reportable.

Be specific about the uncertainty. If you understand whom you contacted but cannot tell whether the examiner’s wording concerns the nature of that relationship, authorization for a communication, or how you reported it afterward, explain those distinctions so the examiner can address the question you actually have. Another examinee’s account cannot resolve that ambiguity for you.

Separate what you know from what you need explained. You may know whom you contacted, what the communication involved, and whether you submitted a report through your security office, while still being unsure how the terminology the examiner uses applies to those facts. Say so.

For questions about your continuing reporting responsibilities, use your security office’s approved channel. A polygraph appointment is not a reason to postpone a report that is otherwise required, and an internet question list is not a substitute for your organization’s reporting instructions.

Why does the examiner finalize wording during the pretest?

The pretest connects the question’s language to your understanding. DOE’s current rule says the examiner determines exact wording using the pretest interview, established procedures, your understanding, and your input. IC guidance similarly bases question formulation on the pre-examination discussion and applicable guidance.

This is the strongest reason to distrust claims of a guaranteed verbatim script. Even a question accurately recalled by another examinee does not establish the wording that will be used with you. Memorizing it can reinforce a definition that the examiner has not adopted.

Use the discussion to resolve a concrete ambiguity. You might ask what a term includes, whether you have understood a stated period correctly, or how to explain a factual correction. These are communication questions, not requests for a method of producing a desired instrument response.

The examiner retains responsibility for formulation; your input does not mean you negotiate away a relevant subject. Still unclear? Explain whether the difficulty concerns the conduct being described, the meaning of a term, or how the question relates to information you have already supplied, so the examiner can address the misunderstanding before testing proceeds.

Which topics belong to broader personnel screening?

Expanded-scope examinations include CI topics and add criminal conduct, drug involvement, and falsification of security questionnaires and forms under IC guidance. The overall hiring process may also involve interviews and other reviews. Those broader requirements should not be confused with the subject limits of a CI examination.

The comparison below separates published categories from assumptions candidates sometimes make. For the broader distinction between examination types, the CI versus full-scope comparison supplies context; your appointment instructions should identify what the sponsoring agency requires.

The Intelligence Community’s public hiring overview describes a process that varies across agencies. Its combined description of possible polygraph topics is not a universal CI question list. Keep the distinction between a general careers page and the policy governing an examination.

What should you clarify before the charts begin?

Confirm the examination type, the meanings of unfamiliar terms, and the procedure for correcting information. Use the examiner for question wording and the scheduling or security contact for appointment requirements. Make your questions specific enough that someone can resolve the actual uncertainty.

Read your appointment instructions first. If they leave you unsure what materials to bring, how to raise a health-related concern, or whether something you read online applies to the scheduled examination, take those questions to the official contact before using someone else’s experience to fill the gaps. Follow the instructions provided for your appointment.

During the pretest, explain a misunderstanding as soon as you recognize it. If you need to correct an earlier statement, describe the correction plainly rather than trying to preserve consistency with an inaccurate answer. Truthful clarification is a different activity from rehearsing a performance.

If you are worried about a result, the discussion of polygraph difficulties and possible next steps can help frame questions for the responsible office. Treat an online explanation as background, not a diagnosis of your examination or a promise of a particular outcome.

Why avoid internet scripts and countermeasures?

Scripts cannot establish your examiner’s wording, and countermeasures carry their own policy risk. IC guidance says purposeful non-cooperation, including confirmed countermeasure use, could result in additional review or an adverse security determination. It does not promise that any preparation method will produce a favorable result.

Be selective about advice. A recommendation to understand instructions serves a different purpose from a technique intended to manipulate physiological recordings. Avoid practicing the latter. Bring questions about acceptable preparation to the official appointment contact instead of relying on anonymous claims of success.

Employment consequences also require context. Reading about a polygraph result and continued employment should lead you to ask who handles your case and which process applies. It should not lead you to assume that someone else’s job outcome controls yours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official list of exact CI polygraph questions?

The public authorities discussed above provide topic categories and question-formulation rules. They do not establish a single verbatim script for every candidate. Your pretest discussion is the place to understand the questions formulated for your examination.

Does CI scope mean drug questions can never arise anywhere in hiring?

No. IC guidance places drug involvement among expanded-scope topics, but the overall personnel screening process is broader than a CI examination. Keep the examination’s scope separate from other forms, interviews, or hiring requirements.

Can I ask the examiner to explain a word?

Yes. The public wording rules expressly account for examinee understanding and pretest discussion. State the ambiguity and listen to the explanation rather than substituting a definition from an online account.

What should I do with a question list I found online?

Use current agency policy to check the claimed subject areas, then set aside the supposed script. Before your appointment, write down the term or scope issue you still need explained and send that question through the official scheduling or security contact.